Ingleshwar participates in 2016 APHA poster session

Aparna Ingleshwar participated in a poster session at the American Public Health Association’s Annual Meeting and Expo in Denver, Colo., Oct. 29-Nov. 2. Ingleshwar is a graduate research assistant with the Health Policy Research Program at the University of Iowa Public Policy Center and a Ph.D. Oral Science student in the Preventive and Community Dentistry Department in the UI College of Dentistry and Dental Clinics. 

Ingleshwar presented “Dentist’s attitudes towards the earned benefits structure of Iowa Medicaid’s Dental Wellness Plan.” The Dental Wellness Plan (DWP) provides dental coverage for enrollees in the Iowa Health and Wellness Plan (IHAWP), which is the Medicaid expansion program in Iowa. Ingleshwar is the lead author of the study. Her co-authors include Dr. Susan McKernan, Dr. Julie Reynolds, Dr. Ray Kuthy and Dr. Pete Damiano.

Ingleshwar's poster is available to view here. 

“The DWP of Iowa was designed with a unique earned benefits structure to encourage preventive care-seeking behavior by its members,” Ingleshwar said. “Our study showed that, in the first year of DWP’s implementation, dentists’ overall attitude towards the earned benefits structure was slightly negative and was influenced by their perceptions about specific DWP-related issues. Further research would be needed to examine whether these attitudes and associated factors change in subsequent years of the program.”

APHA’s Annual Meeting and Expo brings together more than 12,000 public health professionals from across the U.S. and around the world. APHA champions the health of all people and all communities. Its mission is to improve the health of the public and achieve equity in health status.

Learn more about Ingleshwar and her research at /people/aparna-shivanand-ingleshwar.

More information about the Iowa Dental Wellness Plan Evaluation is available at /health/study/iowa-dental-wellness-plan-evaluation.